WHILE there's plenty of growers chomping at the bit to get on the header, the early predictions are that harvest will start in the first week of October.
However it is a case on not mentioning the "f" word as everyone holds their breath to see what will be the extent of frost damage (see separate story in this edition).
McIntosh & Son branch manager Brad Forrester said crops south east of Morawa were starting the "hay off", while to the north headers will stay in the shed for at least another month.
"By this time last year we were well and truly into harvest so it's actually good that no one is out yet," Mr Forrester said.
He said growers were expecting above average yields.
"Crops near the coast will go about three tonnes Per hectare and those towards the east will yield about 1t/ha.
"We've also had colder than normal temperatures which has slowed the crop down and there are some concerns about protein levels and quality."
Farmanco consultant Bill Campbell said crops close to Geraldton were looking "exceptionally good", sitting on around 400 millimetres of rain for the growing season.
"But to the north around Yuna they've had around 250mm and there's no moisture as well as being colder than normal with extended dry periods," he said.
In terms of crop growth Mr Campbell said wheat was just starting to flower and canola was beginning pod development.
He said another 15-20mm of rain would be ideal for the northern region.
"In the north east, crops are also looking really good however there is some frost damage in barley and some wheat crops from a prolonged frost at the end of August," Mr Campbell said.
Additional rainfall was also needed as plants were showing signs of moisture stress.
"Crops around Dalwallinu and Wubin are looking really fresh and bright but we are seeing flagleaf rolling up in the middle of the day, so there is a bit of moisture stress happening around the place," he said.
Canola swathing is likely to start mid-October and barley harvest by end of October.
Mr Campbell said there had been good weed and pest management which had kept weeds at bay under the canopy, however there was a "huge" powdery mildew and aphid pressure in wheat and some downy mildew appearing in canola, which was being managed with sprays.
In the central Wheatbelt, Dan Taylor, DKT Landmark, Cunderdin, said he was concerned about cereal protein levels.
"Even though a lot of guys put 30-50 per cent more nitrogen on, there have been visual signs of nitrogen deficiency throughout the season," Mr Taylor said.
"The wet and cold winter means we have probably lost a lot of that nitrogen through waterlogging, leaching and denitrification, so protein levels are probably going to be low this season."
Mr Taylor said there was also a lot of cereal aphid activity, although the wet conditions meant there was little impact from pests.
"Aphids tend to be more damaging in hard finishes, so the softer finish means crops aren't too stressed," he said.
Further east Mr Taylor said there had been some frost damage in barley and canola, although so far it "was not as bad as we thought".
"We thought that there had been a lot more barley affected by frost as the heads weren't filling, but now that it is starting to warm up we are slowly seeing them fill," he said.
In terms of harvest, he predicted some growers would start on barley in about three weeks, which put them "one to two weeks earlier than normal".
Growers in the Albany zone would happily send some of their rain to those in the north, having experienced significant waterlogging.
Elders agronomist James Bee said Cranbrook in particular had experienced the highest year-to-date rainfall in 50 years which had impacted on the timing of nitrogen applications and ultimately impacting yield and quality.
Early sown, longer season barley varieties such as Granger, Finders and Oxford and Trojan wheat had held up well during the wet conditions.
"There are a lot of really nice crops around, but about 10-20pc of many paddocks are super wet which is going to affect average yields," Mr Bee said.
"It has been so cold and wet that crops have struggled to utilise nitrogen and there has been some paddocks where you would hardly know that nitrogen has been applied because it had volatilised or leached.
"There are some growers who are trying to correct this with liquid nitrogen applications now, but there is a fair chance that there will be a lot of low protein grain out there."
Pest management had also been difficult due to the conditions with leaf rust in barley, powdery mildew in wheat and oat aphids all present.
Harvest was likely to start November "at the earliest" in the area.
Binnu grower Nolan Harris predicted he'll start direct heading his canola in the first week of October.
Mr Harris has grown 2400ha of wheat, 1200ha canola and 600ha of lupins this season and is expecting average to above average yields in wheat and average in canola and lupins.
Right now, he is looking for an extra 10-20mm of rain to finish the season.
"Everything is looking really good and it helps that we've had a cooler winter," Mr Harris said.
"But if we don't get that extra bit of rain it will pull the above average back to an average yield in the wheat."
Mr Harris said they had been "pretty lucky" with pests, keeping insecticide and fungicide sprays to a minimum.
"We're just starting to see heliothis grub in the lupins and canola but we are hoping to be done and dusted before it really gets going," he said.
On the other hand he had to step up wild radish and ryegrass control with extra herbicide applications.
"Where we sprayed twice it is looking really clean, but where we missed a spray the odd bit is still showing up," he said.
